Petrol theft epidemic sweeps Melbourne
Petrol theft epidemic sweeps Melbourne
A petrol theft epidemic has plagued service stations across Melbourne after police announced they would no longer investigate petrol drive-offs unless there is clear evidence of a crime.
Thomastown service station owner Frank Eid has seen an average of four petrol thefts at his service station every week.
“My staff member was run over by two girls and he was badly injured for two weeks,” he said.
According to the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), Victorian service station owners have experience a 14 per cent jump in petrol thefts since last year.
“At this point in time, it’s classed in many cases as civil action, not criminal,” AACS’s Jeff Rogut said.
Business owners must pursue petrol theft matters through court.
7News understands that Victoria Police is planning a series of undercover operations to catch serial offenders in the act, after they received criticism over their decision not to investigate petrol theft.
“Police are trying, but we need greater intervention by government, giving police more powers to do things to people who are found guilty of stealing petrol,” Mr Rogut said.
Melbourne’s west is a hotspot for petrol theft; in the Wyndham area there was an average of more than three drive-offs per day last year, with 103 recorded in January, and 101 in December.
Police laid 262 charges related to petrol theft in 2013, worth more than $6,000 in January.
One woman was charged with 127 crimes and a man with 96 crimes.
The major hurdle for police is that many thieves change to stolen number plates before entering petrol stations, which makes them very difficult to trace
Drivers can avoid becoming victims is by fitting their number plates with theft-proof screws.
